[Unpopular Personal Opinion] SSF style gameplay is where I get the most fun out of the game

Why are you not playing in SSF though? Legitimately curious

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Retromastery97 wrote:

the main thing that always turned me off from playing PoE was the seemingly mandatory trading and how everybody seems to push this playstyle into your throat

Got any examples?
I don't know of anyone on here ( I could be wrong) that has pushed trading as mandatory.
Preferred? I'll give ya that but mandatory, no.

My 1st two leagues I never traded, unless you count just me and my buddy as the only people in our guild giving each other stuff if the other could use it as an upgrade.

Sure trading makes POE life easier,but it's far from mandatory.

I wanted to experience SSF and try to get to Uber Elder this league, and I also felt like the game was much more relaxing to play. I only left it because I couldnt get the items I wanted to try new builds, but I wasnt happy to.

Overall, I too would prefer to be able to play only in SSF, but the main problem is that the league system forces you to be efficient if you want to experiment a certain number of builds, especially if you dont play much. Knowing that all your efforts, all the items you patiently collected will be dumped in standard afterwards doesnt make you want to take your time, as you are afraid to miss out a lot before the next league. If we could just play every new league in standard too when it's out, I would definitely play SSF only.

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Phrazz wrote:

No. The "mandatory trading" comes from their ambitions/time perspective. IF they are to reach certain points/achieve certain milestones in a certain amount of time, trading IS mandatory.
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Just stop. It all depends on playstyles, fun and goals, and not excuses.

I totally agree with this post. Trading being mandatory really depends on how much time the individual can/wants to devote to reaching a goal.

People who think trading is mandatory probably have a certain timescale they are trying to adhere to to hit whatever their goals are.

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Serakiel wrote:

Overall, I too would prefer to be able to play only in SSF, but the main problem is that the league system forces you to be efficient if you want to experiment a certain number of builds, especially if you dont play much.

I disagree. With your explanation that you gave, you are restricting yourself, the game isn't forcing you to do anything.
Granted people have lives and can't play as much as they want usually, but saying the game is forcing you do play a certain way is not true.

That's exactly what I mean. "Trading is required" is a mantra of people who set goals and then convince themselves they can only achieve those goals by working outside the game (what I call cheating). Then they prance around here like they've achieved something.

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Shagsbeard wrote:

That's exactly what I mean. "Trading is required" is a mantra of people who set goals and then convince themselves they can only achieve those goals by working outside the game (what I call cheating). Then they prance around here like they've achieved something.

Oh, we can call whatever we want for "cheating" now? You see, your arguments are full of subjectivity too. YOU call it cheating, even though it isn't. People call trading mandatory, even though it isn't.

The only reason trading is "mandatory" is because of a serious lack of target farming and because GGG balances around trade(leaving my own personal opinions on that aside),putting a serious hurting on getting build defining uniques if you're in SSF. If you could target farm an enemy type who dropped a specific build enabling unique SSF and people's ability to try things would overall be greatly improved. I say build enabling because things like Kaom's heart I ddon't include in that. Things that fundamentally alter the "Skilldrasil"(to borrow charan's word for it) and actual skill functions fall into the category of build enabling uniques.

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Retromastery97 wrote:

Overall, I'm curious to know if I'm part of a very small minority, or part of just a silent group that generally stays in the shadows and play this way. Because PoE has just become much more fun for me, I love just building my character with what I find, much more satisfying for me personally.

majority of the playerbase do not trade.
i too try to avoid trading while playing leagues. mostly i try to find most of the maps and buy just necessary prophecies
its perfectly normal what you do and probably its the way poe meant to be played.

Wonder why they moved this to feedback and suggestions? It seems like it was perfectly valid to be in General Discussion.